Mumbai : The local organising committee of the FIFA 2017 Under-17 World Cup tournament on Monday announced that the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai has been granted provisional approval as the fourth venue to host the international event in India
The other venues shortlisted are Guwahati, Kochi and Kolkata. According to tournament director Javier Cepii, six venues will be host the mega event. Goa, Chennai, Bengaluru, New Delhi and Pune were the other venues which have been kept in consideration, from which two will be selected. The final inspection will be held in September 2016 by the FIFA team who will then decide on the last two venues.
The tournament will kick-off in September 2017 and will continue till October.
Hosts India will get a direct entry while 23 countries will go through the regular route. Four countries from Asia, six from Europe, four each from South America, North America and Africa, and one from Oceania will participate. Tournament director Javier Cepii said the D.Y. Patil Stadium was selected not only keeping in mind the arena and training facilities but also the interest among the people of Navi Mumbai.
“Number of things were kept in mind while selecting. It’s not only the stadium and training facilities, but also the interest and passion among the people of Navi Mumbai, which has impressed me the most. This will be a game-changer for Indian football and Indian sport,” Cepii said.
“The venues which have been selected and which are in contention will have to upgrade themselves to get selected finally. From good pitch conditions to proper drainage system are the points which will be looked upon when the final selection will be made. We request the venues to step up and make their stadium up to the mark.”
D.Y. Patil Stadium President Vijay Patil said it was a historical day for Navi Mumbai and the country to get the opportunity to host the tournament.
“Delighted that Navi Mumbai will host the World Cup. I thank All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Western India Football Association (WIFA) for the support. Now we have taken a huge responsibility on our shoulders and have to work collectively to make the tournament a huge success,” Patil said.
WIFA chief executive Henry Menezes said: “It is a great day for celebration. The time has come. Now the excitement for hosting the World Cup gets even bigger. Economic boost, fans and large number of people will be coming down to Navi Mumbai to make it a success. The job has just begun and we should feel proud to be able to host the mega event.”